


Scorching Sands

by Aneiria



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abydos, Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Curse Breakers, Curse Breaking, Dates, Dating, Egypt, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Multi, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Post-Hogwarts, Shameless Smut, Smut, cairo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:34:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28090986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aneiria/pseuds/Aneiria
Summary: ‘I thought we could go out tonight, if you fancied it?’ Padma said as casually as she could. ‘Maybe have dinner at that wizarding falafel place that Penelope mentioned?’Hermione nodded distantly, her focus still on her work. ‘Sure, sweetheart,’ she replied. ‘That sounds lovely.’Padma sighed in relief and finally focused properly on her own curse.She had to speak to Hermione about something, and she was going to do it tonight.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Padma Patil, Hermione Granger/Theodore Nott, Padma Patil / Hermione Granger / Theodore Nott, Theodore Nott/Padma Patil
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	Scorching Sands

There were worse places to be, Padma Patil thought to herself as the hot sun beat down, than in Egypt.

As a curse-breaker she knew she could have ended up anywhere in the world, working to make dark magic estates safe, or consulting with Gringotts or another wizarding bank on their salvage jobs. As it was, she was working alongside some of the top magico-archaeologists in the world, as well as one of the best curse-breakers she knew.

Hermione Granger looked up at her now, her wild curls shoved into a topknot and a red silk scarf wrapped around it. She smiled at Padma and turned back to her work, aiming her wand at a stone block in the sand and casting a wordless spell to dissolve a nasty little Entrail-Expelling curse.

‘What’s that, third one today?’ Padma asked as she tried to focus on her own curse.

‘Fifth,’ Hermione returned briskly, moving on to the next cursed block.

Padma and Hermione might have been dating for almost a year now, but it still gave Padma a thrill every time Hermione used wandless or non-verbal magic.

‘I thought we could go out tonight, if you fancied it?’ Padma said as casually as she could. ‘Maybe have dinner at that wizarding falafel place that Penelope mentioned?’

Hermione nodded distantly, her focus still on her work. ‘Sure, sweetheart,’ she replied. ‘That sounds lovely.’

Padma sighed in relief and finally focused properly on her own curse.

She had to speak to Hermione about something, and she was going to do it tonight.

* * *

The nights in Egypt were always balmy.

All of the dig workers - curse-breakers, magico-archaeologists, Muggle Liaison Officers, everyone except for the Sphinx they retained on staff for tricky ancient Egyptian riddles - stayed in nearby Cairo, in the wizarding quarter. The quarter was made up of a sprawling souq filled with shops, market stalls, tea shops and restaurants, with countless magical apartments stacked on top of the mudbrick buildings.

Hermione and Padma had their own tiny apartment, rented for the three month duration of their contract, looking out over an alchemy merchant’s stall and a little tea shop that specialised in spiced cinnamon tea.

They left their building in the early evening, meandering along the hawkers selling their magical wares before ducking into the little falafel restaurant Penelope Clearwater couldn’t shut up about.

It wasn’t until they’d finished eating and were sharing coffee and baklava that Padma brought up what she’d wanted to talk about.

‘Hermione,’ Padma began, reaching out to take Hermione’s hand in her own. They’d talked about the possibility of this happening before, but this was the first time it had happened since they’d begun dating. Padma wasn’t really sure how Hermione was going to take it. ‘I think I want to date Theo Nott.’

Padma held her breath as Hermione turned to her, her brown eyes wide and filled with what Padma could only call _scandalisation_.

Inwardly, she sighed and braced herself.

When she and Hermione had started dating, Padma had been very open about the fact she was pansexual and polyamorous. She warned Hermione that there may come a time when Padma would be attracted to – and maybe even fall in love with – another witch or wizard. Hermione had nodded through her frown, agreeing to be open-minded, promising they could talk when that time happened. From the way she was looking at Padma right now, however, it seemed that open-mindedness might be over before it really began.

‘Padma,’ Hermione said, her hand tightening. ‘You _can’t_. Theo Nott is a _Slytherin_.’

There was a pause, a moment of silence as Padma registered Hermione’s words and tried not to laugh. Hermione’s eyes drilled into her, deadly serious.

‘Hermione, sweetheart,’ Padma managed to gently say, pushing back one of Hermione’s long, dark curls that had fallen in front of her face. ‘I love you, but you have to get over this Hogwarts rivalry. It’s been three years since we left.’

Hermione shifted uncomfortably and looked away, but there was a delicate flush to her cheeks that suggested she knew she was being unreasonable.

Padma pushed on. ‘You still haven’t really forgiven Harry for falling in love with Draco, have you?’ she said with as much kindness as she could put into her words. It had been difficult when Harry and Draco started dating, Hermione struggling to trust their old school rival even after she spoke on his behalf during his trial.

‘It’s not a Slytherin thing!’ Hermione insisted now. ‘Malfoy was a Death Eater. And Nott-’ Here she paused. They both knew that even if his father was one of Voldemort’s most trusted men, Theo Nott junior had never taken the Dark Mark. ‘Well, his father was an _awful_ man,’ Hermione finished haughtily.

Padma felt a sudden flash of anger towards Hermione and took a deep breath to control herself. ‘Hermione Granger,’ she said instead, letting the sharpness of her anger enter her voice. ‘You are not seriously suggesting we should be judging someone based on who they were born, are you?’

For a moment Hermione just glared back with blazing eyes, before shame flooded her entire countenance and she wilted where she sat.

‘Oh Merlin, Pads,’ she gasped. ‘What am I saying? You’re right, I’m so sorry.’

Padma’s heart twinged in sympathy and she took both of Hermione’s hands in hers, squeezing them reassuringly.

‘It’s all right, Hermione,’ she said quietly as Hermione sniffed. ‘I know this is still new to you. We can take as much time as you need, I’m in no rush.’

Hermione gave her a grateful smile but shook her head at the same time.

‘I want you to be happy, Padma,’ she said earnestly, leaning forward so she could look into Padma’s eyes, as if to prove her genuineness. ‘And if dating Theo Nott will make you happy, then let’s make it happen.’

* * *

Despite Hermione’s words of encouragement the night before, she didn’t bring up the topic of Theo Nott again the next morning.

Instead she and Padma got ready for work in companionable silence, Hermione sliding her wand into her holster as she walked out of their bedroom. At the entrance to the apartment she reached down to scoop up her and Padma’s curse-breaker identity badges, passing Padma’s to her. She fastened her own onto the collar of her shirt - a tiny gold pin in the shape of a crescent moon that projected their names, guild number and specialisms when tapped with a wand. Padma affixed hers to her own shirt and gave Hermione a bright smile and held out her hand.

‘Come on,’ she said as Hermione curled her hand in hers. ‘Let’s get to the dig.’

The magical dig Hermione and Padma had been working on for the past two months was out near Abydos, and protected by a number of anti-Muggle wards and protective charms. A combined effort by the British Ministry of Magic and the Egyptian Magical Bureau, the dig had been going on for several years, staffed by many witches and wizards from both countries, yet there was still plenty to be found at the site.

Hermione and Padma were paired together and spent most of their days alone in one of the excavation sites of the old potioneering buildings. Here, as far as they could surmise, ancient Egyptian witches and wizards would work in the stifling desert heat to prepare potions as needed for the magical community. All the protective curses were still in place, as they were for most of the ancient sites, hence the need for trained curse-breakers like Padma and Hermione alongside the magico-archaeologists.

’Take a look at this.’ Padma called over to Hermione, breaking through her reverie, and Hermione turned to see what her girlfriend had uncovered.

It was over one of the carved stone troughs, a petroleum shimmer that hung like a second skin. The magico-archeologists believed these troughs were used to house completed potions under a stasis charm, and were protected by curses to make sure none of the concoctions were stolen. Hermione cautiously lifted her wand to it, casting the detection spell she knew Padma would already have done. Padma watched quietly by her side, her hands on her hips.

‘Very strange,’ Hermione murmured, casting another spell. It was a curse she couldn’t identify, but she was picking up a certain signature to it. She looked over at Padma. ‘Astronomical curse?’ she suggested, and Padma nodded in agreement.

‘Yeah, that’s what I thought. You seal it off, I’ll send for a consult from Theo.’

Theo, their erstwhile classmate and Padma’s current love interest, was another curse-breaker at Abydos. He’d trained with them, back in England, and specialised in astronomical curses.

As Hermione cast a shielding seal over the curse, Padma waved her own wand and conjured a Patronus. A silvery-white peacock flowed from the tip of the wand and Padma sent it to fetch Theo to take a look.

‘Might as well move onto that section near the back while we wait,’ Padma said once the Patronus had disappeared, and Hermione stretched out her back and nodded in agreement. 

Hermione snuck a look at her girlfriend while they worked on the new section. Padma looked gorgeous as usual - she always looked so effortlessly elegant, even in the scorching heat of the desert. Whereas Hermione battled with her unruly curls and cast constant cooling charms on herself to cope, Padma’s long black locks were smooth and shiny, and she never looked hot and bothered.

She was dressed as normal today, like a Muggle film star playing an archaeologist, in a pair of sand-coloured linen trousers and an olive-green shirt with sleeves rolled to the elbows, the top few buttons undone and the glint of a gold necklace showing, matching the gold of her earrings. Her long hair was tied in a high ponytail, and as Hermione watched she reached up and wiped the shine of sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, her gold bangles jangling as she did. Hermione wanted to take hold of Padma’s wrist, kiss her palm, and maybe pull her into the communal dig tent for the rest of the afternoon.

Padma wore the symbol of Hathor around her neck, a pair of curved golden horns that represented the goddess, although Hermione always thought of her more as the embodiment of Isis, the clever, cunning sorceress of Egyptian mythology. Padma joked that Hermione could be no other than Sekhmet, the fierce, protective warrior goddess of the sands, who was - of course -a lioness. Hermione wore a gold charm around her own neck, a gift from Padma, with the goddess’s likeness on it.

And if Padma were Isis and Hermione Sekhmet, Theodore Nott could be none other than Thoth, the wise, watchful god of knowledge.

He approached them now, his sapphire eyes hidden by dark aviator glasses, a hint of dark stubble giving him a roguish appearance. Hermione could see his wand sheathed in the leather holster wrapped around his thigh, but otherwise he could have passed for a Muggle in his white shirt and khaki trousers.

‘Afternoon, ladies,’ Theo said with a grin, and this time Hermione didn’t miss the way Padma smiled in return.

‘Theo,’ Hermione said in greeting, trying to keep her voice relaxed. His expression showed a flash of surprise at the unusual use of his first name, but to Hermione’s relief, didn’t comment on it.

‘We’ve been waiting for you,’ Padma said now, standing up and stretching her spine. She brushed her hands together to knock the sand off, and Theo raised an eyebrow at her.

‘Yeah? What did you find for me?’

Padma turned to the shimmering stone trough, and Hermione carefully dismantled the shielding spell over it. Theo removed his dark glasses, hooking them onto the front of his shirt, and pulled his wand free from its holster. It was slightly curved and made from a dark, reddish wood, Hermione noted, and his fingers were long and elegant curled around it. He waved it at the curse, his eyes darkening with interest.

‘Well now,’ he murmured, casting another spell, and then another, in quick succession. ‘You’ve found a good one here.’

Hermione and Padma were both watching with interest, and Hermione leaned forward to try and see what he was doing.

‘Careful,’ Theo murmured, and Padma reached out to rest her hand protectively on Hermione’s forearm. ‘If you want to stick around and watch, double shields up please.’

They did as Theo said, each raising a shield spell around them both. Theo had already raised his own shield: the first thing a curse-breaker learned was how to duel-wield, to be able to cast and maintain a long-lasting shield. He poked gently at the curse and it shimmered violently, like a runespoor hissing in anger.

‘See that?’ he said, pointing at the marbling of the petrol sheen. ‘It’s an Albedo Curse.’

Hermione glanced at Padma but found her looking just as confused as she felt. ‘That’s not a curse we’re familiar with, Theo,’ Hermione said, and he nodded in understanding, turning to face them. His shield spell never wavered, and Hermione found herself reluctantly admiring his magical skill and capability.

‘I wouldn’t really expect anyone who hasn’t studied astronomagic to know it,’ he said easily, his wand loose in his hand. ‘It’s a pretty uncommon curse. If anyone tries to get past it at anytime other than the full moon, it will have an adverse affect. Looks like this one will dissolve you.’

‘Lovely,’ Padma muttered, and Theo flashed her his brilliant smile.

‘Quite. Luckily, I know how to disarm it.’

Turning back away from them, Theo raised his wand once more and uttered the words _luna geminus_. A miniature facsimile of the full moon appeared before him, floating in the space between his body and the curse, and as the glow of the moon hit the curse, the petroleum shine shimmered again before disappearing into nothing. Theo muttered another few words, presumably to disable the curse completely, and vanished the moon.

‘Done,’ he said, satisfaction colouring his words, and turned back to Padma and Hermione, dropping his shield. They did the same, and Padma reached out to brush the stone trough with her fingertips.

‘Impressive work, Nott,’ she said teasingly, and he raised an eyebrow at her.

‘Do you really expect anything less from me, Patil?’ he smirked in response, and Hermione hid a smile at the gentle flirting between the two of them. It looked like Padma’s attraction to Theo wasn’t one way.

Theo looked back over to Hermione. ‘Anything else you need from me?’

It was an innocent enough question. A professional question, one colleague to another.

Even Hermione couldn’t have predicted the next words to tumble from her mouth.

* * *

‘Padma wants to date you,’ Hermione blurted out, and instantly slapped her hands over her mouth, her brown eyes wide as if she couldn’t believe what she’d said. Padma sighed to herself as Theo’s expression grew from bemused to confused to concerned in the space of a fleeting second.

‘Erm,’ was all he managed to say, far from his usual eloquent self.

Hermione threw Padma a slightly panicked look, and Padma gave her a reassuring smile and reached out to lay her hand over Hermione’s. Hermione relaxed slightly, and Padma turned back to Theo who was waiting in silent expectation.

‘I didn’t quite expect to discuss this right now, but sure, why not,’ she said with a small laugh. She focused on Theo’s sapphire blue eyes, currently watching the two of them in confusion. ‘I’m polyamorous,’ Padma explained. In her experience, it was easiest just to come out with that part first.

‘Oh,’ Theo said, understanding lighting his face. His sapphire eyes flashed, and he looked from Padma to Hermione. ‘Wait. _You’re_ polyamorous?’ he asked, nodding towards Padma. ‘What, and you’re _not_ , Granger?’

Padma watched Hermione, who was squirming slightly under Theo’s intense gaze. He was a rare thing; an active and empathetic listener. Theo didn’t spend a conversation waiting for his own turn to speak, but instead really, truly listened. It was that calm, patient introspection that made him an excellent curse-breaker as well.

With Hermione, it meant she had the space she needed to gather her thoughts and plan her words, a consideration most other people never gave her. It was why, Padma suspected, so many people thought she was bossy and condescending. She’d had to learn to force her ideas onto people too loud and exuberant to actually listen to her quietness.

As Padma and Theo watched and waited, Hermione took a deep breath and met Theo’s eyes.

‘I don’t know if I’m polyamorous,’ she finally admitted, and Theo just nodded slowly, encouraging her to continue with her thoughts. ‘I’ve never dated anyone polyamorous before. I understand the theory, obviously, and there really are some compelling arguments that human beings aren’t meant to be monogamous, but it’s something I’ve never had the chance to put into practice before.’

‘And now your girlfriend wants to date me,’ Theo surmised. ‘And you’re happy for her to do that? What happens if you decide you’re not polyamorous after all?’

Hermione shrugged, but Padma answered instead.

‘Hermione would come first,’ she said, and was rewarded with Hermione squeezing her hand gratefully. ‘ _If_ you were interested in dating me,’ she added, and Theo’s eyes definitely twinkled at that, ‘then it would be on the understanding that Hermione has final say.’

‘I see,’ Theo said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. ‘Well, for the record, I am interested in dating you, Padma,’ he said as easily as if he’d simply been invited for coffee. ‘Very interested,’ he added with a grin, and she hid her smirk and shook her head at him in faux despair. He leaned forward again, his gaze sliding from Padma back to Hermione. ‘But I’d like to date you too, Granger. If you wanted to, I mean.’

‘Me?’ Hermione squeaked, her grip on Padma’s hand increasing, and Theo nodded.

‘As long as we’re being honest, I’ve fancied you both since we started working together,’ he admitted with a genuine smile. ‘How could I not? I’ve never known anyone as fucking brilliant as both of you, never mind utterly gorgeous.’

Padma gave a sideways glance to Hermione, wanting to see how she was reacting to this revelation. The way her brown eyes widened and she was biting her lower lip the way she did when she was nervous - the way which made Padma want to pull her lip out from between her teeth and kiss away the mark she’d made - meant she was receptive but unsure.

‘What do you think, sweetheart?’ Parma asked quietly, stroking Hermione’s fingers with her own.

‘I don’t-’ Hermione hesitated, looking from Padma to Theo and back again. ‘I don’t know,’ she whispered, but Padma saw the curiosity in her beautiful brown eyes.

‘Why don’t we try one date?’ Padma said, and Hermione bit her lip again before nodding slowly.

‘One date,’ she agreed, as Theo’s eyes sparkled in delight.

‘That’s settled then. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I do actually have to get on with some more work this afternoon,’ he added in a teasing voice.

* * *

Later on, in the tiny apartment in wizarding Cairo she shared with Hermione, Padma started to get ready for bed. She sat in front of their small mirror, untying her hair and brushing it out so it fell in shiny waves over her shoulders. As the door behind her opened, Padma looked up in the reflection of the mirror to see Hermione walk through to their room.

Her wild curls were caught in a bun on the top of her head, several strands falling loose, and her brown eyes were tired. It had been a long day, down in the ancient potioneers’ building, and after Theo had left they’d worked on breaking another five or six curses.

‘You okay, sweetheart?’ Padma asked softly, and Hermione looked up, catching her gaze in the mirror, and nodded with a tired smile.

‘I’m good. I think I might take a bath.’

‘Sounds like a good idea. Why don’t you go and relax and I’ll make us some tea to take to bed.’

Hermione went to the bathroom and a moment later Padma heard the thundering sound of the water running. She finished taking her makeup off and tied her hair back into a braid before making her way to their tiny kitchenette.

She made a pot of fresh mint tea, letting the boiling water steep the leaves in the silver teapot, and gathered two of the little tea glasses that had come with the apartment. They were delicate and small, tinted green with an intricate golden pattern painted onto them. Hermione and Padma had spent many evenings drinking mint tea from them while talking and cuddling under the balmy Egyptian night sky.

She placed everything onto a silver tray and carried it through to the bedroom, putting it all under a stasis charm. She couldn’t hear the water running anymore and knew Hermione must be lounging in the bath, probably in a haze of jasmine-scented bubbles.

Fighting the urge to burst into the bathroom, Padma opened her latest novel instead, determined to give Hermione the space she needed to unwind after a hard day. They had tomorrow off, thank goodness, and Padma waslooking forward to a lie-in, wrapped around her girlfriend, and a day of doing nothing.

Two chapters in, the door to the bathroom finally opened again and Hermione stepped out. She’d washed her hair, obviously using her wand as it was dry, her curls tumbling loose over her bare shoulders. She was wrapped only in a midnight-blue towel, her skin dewey and her lips curled into a dreamy smile.

‘You feel better?’ Padma asked, marking her page and closing her book. Hermione nodded, her brown eyes sparkling.

‘Much better,’ she said, holding the towel to her body.

‘Why don’t you come over here and I’ll make you feel better still?’ Padma raised an eyebrow suggestively, and Hermione giggled and started to walk towards her. Padma bit her lip, aching to hold Hermione, to taste her. ‘Towel off,’ she said, making her voice as stern as she could. Hermione threw her an indulgent look and Padma knew she hadn’t fooled her. Nevertheless, Hermione released her hand and let the towel fall to the floor.

It still took Padma’s breath away, every time she saw Hermione naked.

She was _beautiful_.

Long legs, luscious thighs, a beautiful belly and delectable arse when she turned around. And her breasts were _gorgeous_ , full and heavy, her skin soft and smooth. More than once Padma wondered how she’d gotten so lucky.

‘Come here,’ she said, beckoning Hermione forward with one finger. She lifted the light bedsheet from her body, inviting Hermione in. Hermione slid under the sheets, her body naked against the silk of Padma’s turquoise pyjamas.

‘You’re entirely overdressed, Miss Patil,’ Hermione whispered into her ear as she ran her fingers over the silky material at Padma’s hips, leaving trails of fire in her wake.

‘Then maybe you should do something about it, Miss Granger,’ Padma replied, shivering helplessly as Hermione’s finger slid beneath the silk and brushed with tantalising lightness over her skin. Hermione kissed Padma’s collarbone, and as she pulled away she muttered a spell under her breath, waving her hand in a little piece of wandless magic that left Padma’s pyjamas in a heap on the floor and her body naked in Hermione’s arms.

She’d always known Hermione was a powerful witch, but it was only when they started dating and Padma saw the extent to which Hermione could wield wandless, and often non-verbal, magic that she realised quite how powerful.

Hermione nuzzled against her neck, before claiming Padma’s mouth with her own, kissing her with an intensity and fire hotter than the desert sun they lived and worked under.

‘I’ve been thinking about this all day,’ Hermione said when she pulled away, gently running her hands over Padma’s breasts, pinching her nipples between her fingers. ‘You, gorgeous and naked in my arms. Just imagine,’ Hermione said, leaning down to lick one of Padma’s nipples with her teasing tongue. Padma arched up into her, but Hermione wasn’t finished. ‘Imagine what Theodore would think if he could see you as naked and willing as I am right now.’

Padma groaned, from shock and arousal at Hermione’s words. Hermione sucked Padma’s other nipple into her mouth, biting down just hard enough for the line between pleasure and pain to be blurred. Padma wrapped her hands in Hermione’s gorgeous curls, desperate to stay grounded.

‘Hermione,’ she whined, her core throbbing. ‘Where is this coming from?’

Hermione pressed a kiss between Padma’s breasts and looked up at her, a wicked glint in her beautiful brown eyes. ‘I don’t know,’ she said with a lascivious smile. ‘Just seeing him today, how his whole face lit up at the thought of fucking you…’

Hermione punctuated her words by sinking one of her fingers into Padma, curling and brushing expertly against her g-spot. Padma’s fingers tightened in Hermione’s hair, making her groan and bite down on her bottom lip. She slid a second finger into Padma, gently pumping them in and out, as Padma tried to keep her wits about her enough to protest.

‘We were - _fuck_ , Hermione, that feels amazing - we were just talking about dating with Theo. He wasn’t - oh, _gods_ , don’t stop - wasn’t thinking about taking me to bed.’

Hermione smiled knowingly, and she added her thumb to her ministrations, working it against Padma’s clit. Padma groaned and squirmed, and Hermione placed her free hand firmly on Padma’s thigh, keeping her locked in place, open before her.

‘Trust me, sweetheart,’ Hermione purred. ‘I _saw_ him. Those gorgeous blue eyes of his widened and then darkened. I don’t need to be a Legilimens to tell what he was imaging. _You_ , Padma. Spread before him like you are for me. Your pretty little cunt wet and waiting for him. Your beautiful lips wrapped around his cock. Your breasts…’ here Hermione paused and groaned, releasing Padma’s thigh for a brief moment to run her hand back over her breast, flicking at her hard nipple. ‘Merlin, he’s going to think he’s died and gone to heaven when he sees your gorgeous tits for the first time.’

 _Fuck_. Padma could no longer speak, not when her body was coiled like this, Hermione holding her expertly on the edge. She fucked her with her fingers, putting just enough pressure on her clit to keep her tense but not enough to let her unravel. Padma’s blood buzzed in her veins, her vision narrowing to just Hermione’s lust-filled eyes and her halo of dark hair.

‘And then he’s going to sink his cock into you and fuck you until you can’t walk straight, and when you come back to my bed afterwards I’m going to fuck you all over again.’

 _Merlin_. With Hermione’s last words, she increased the pressure on Padma’s clit and g-spot, and Padma’s world blurred into brightness as her orgasm flooded through her, sensing nothing but the touch and scent and sweet murmured words of affection from her girlfriend.

When she floated back to earth, Hermione was still gently thrusting her fingers into her, letting the last threads of her orgasm float away. Hermione watched her with a satisfied smile. Padma feebly pushed her hand away and Hermione pulled her fingers free, shuffling up her body so she could kiss her again.

‘I love you, Padma,’ she murmured, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her close. ‘I’m sorry I was a dick before about Theo. I’m really happy you’re going to get to date him.’

Padma sighed happily and kissed Hermione’s jaw. ‘And you are, too. That boy doesn’t know how lucky he is,’ she added with a smirk, and earned herself a laugh from Hermione.

‘Indeed he doesn’t.’

* * *

Theo had spent a week squirrelled away in near-silence, and Hermione and Padma only saw him a couple of times when they needed another astronomage consult.

All that changed the following week, when Hermione and Padma were at home in their apartment one evening.

A pharaoh eagle-owl landed outside their window and tapped against the pane, orange eyes blazing and a pair of parchment envelopes in its beak.

Hermione hurried open to the window, thrusting it open to let the owl release the letters into her hand with a low hoot. The hot, heavy, air of the city, perfumed with cumin and cinnamon andtraffic fumes, wafted in as the owl flew off, and Hermione turned the envelopes over in her hand.

They were addressed in Theo’s bold, elegant script, one to Hermione and one to Padma. A smile crossed her lips and she closed the window again. As she turned around Padma walked in, dressed in a simple, kingfisher-blue shalwar kameez with her shiny hair thrown up into a messy bun.

‘Who’s that from?’ Padma asked as she spotted the envelopes in Hermione’s hand, and Hermione passed one of the envelopes to Padma.

‘Theo,’ Hermione replied, and a smile broke out on Padma’s face as she took her letter, ripping it open and reading it as Hermione did the same with hers.

Theo had asked them both out, Padma tomorrow night and Hermione two days later.

All they had to do now was wait.

* * *

When Theo collected Padma the following evening, it was Hermione who opened the door to him. Padma heard her inviting him in as she hurried down the hallway. When she reached the front door, Theo was standing next to Hermione waiting for her, holding a bunch of jasmine flowers, their delicate scent perfuming the air.

She took the flowers from Theo with a gasp. ‘Oh, they’re beautiful! Thank you.’

Theo leaned in and brushed a gentle kiss against her cheek. ‘So are you,’ he murmured, and Padma couldn’t hide her smile. She’d made an effort tonight, wearing a sapphire blue silk dress and the earrings Parvati gifted her last Diwali, dangling gold filigree.

Padma turned to Hermione, who watched her with a complicated look in her eyes. Finally Hermione stepped forward, kissing her gently and hugging her.

‘Have a great time,’ she whispered against her ear, and Padma closed her eyes and let the familiar scent of her girlfriend swirl around her. ‘Don’t come home if you don’t want to,’ she added with a little smile.

Theo took her to a little coffee shop he’d found in the wizarding quarter - ‘they do the best cinnamon tea here, and the basbousa is _incredible_ ’ - tucked away between an apothecary selling Sphinx’s tears and Ashwinder eggs and a dusty little bookstore that Padma made a mental note to point out to Hermione. They found a table at the back, ordered tea and cake, and settled in.

‘So,’ Theo said mildly as he stirred sugar into his cinnamon tea. ‘What made you become a curse-breaker?’

Padma curled her hands around her peppermint tea, breathing in the menthol scent that wafted up from the hot glass. ‘I don’t know really,’ she admitted. ‘I thought about becoming a Healer, but seventh year…’ she trailed off and Theo sat in silence opposite her.

He’d been there that terrible year. Even if he’d been spared the brunt of the physical and mental abuse due to his house and his apparent loyalties, he’d still seen it, lived it.

Padma gave herself a little shake and took a sip of her tea, letting the warm liquid ground her. ‘I did a lot of the healing for the DA,’ she admitted quietly. ‘Especially when students couldn’t get to the hospital wing to see Madam Pomfrey.’ She fell silent again, looking into the glass-like surface of her tea. Theo reached across the table, gently squeezing hand and she looked up at him with a weak smile. ‘I found I didn’t want much to do with it after the war. Same thing with applying to the Aurors, and the thought of going into academics after fighting in a war felt a little… flat. curse-breaking was a nice mix of everything: academics, practicality, usefulness. At least until I work out what I really want to do with my life.’

Theo watched her with warmth in his sapphire eyes. He really was incredibly handsome, and such a good listener. But this wasn’t a mind-healing session. She wanted to know about him as well.

At that moment a waiter appeared with a slice of basbousa each, sliding the plates in front of them and disappearing again.

‘What about you?’ she asked, grateful for the interruption, picking up her fork and carving a chunk of the coconut cake away. ‘What made you become a curse-breaker?’

Theo shrugged, picking up his own fork. ‘I’ve always loved astronomy,’ he started. ‘It was my favourite subject all through Hogwarts.’ He gave her a hard look, as if considering something, and Padma took a bite of cake as he hesitated. ‘Professor Sinistra used to set me extra work,’ he finally said. ‘For fun.’

Padma almost choked on her cake. ‘Theodore Nott!’ she laughed as he blushed and dropped his eyes. ‘You little swot. You should have been in Ravenclaw.’

Theo smiled a little sadly at that. ‘The Sorting Hat thought the same,’ he said quietly. ‘But I was so scared what my father would say that I forced it to put me in Slytherin.’ It was Padma’s turn to sit in silent solidarity, squeezing his hand where it still sat in hers. He took a deep breath, seeming to rally himself, and gave her his dazzling, heart-melting smile. ‘Anyway, I loved astronomy but didn’t want to become a professor, sitting among dusty books and rusty astrolabes. When I found out some curse-breakers specialised in astronomagic, I knew that’s what I wanted to be.’

‘And here we are,’ Padma mused quietly, Theo’s eyes still focused on her.

‘Here we are,’ he murmured in reply.

They moved on to other topics, mutual friends and the news from Britain and how Padma’s sister was doing in her Divination apprenticeship. They carefully steered clear of any other mention of the war, or the dead, or Theo’s father. Padma knew Theo’s mother had died when he was a little boy, and assumed his ancestral manor sat cold and empty back in the English countryside while his father languished in Azkaban.

After they’d finished talking Theo paid for the bill with a couple of Egyptian Scarabs, the gold coins the Egyptian wizards used, half the size but twice as bright as the Galleon. They carried on holding hands as they wandered through the wizarding quarter, Theo’s hand warm and comforting in hers. He drew her to one side, disappearing down a narrow alleyway that popped out into a bustling street food market. Witches and wizards stood at little stalls selling kofta and falafel and besarah.

They tried a bit of everything, or so it felt, feeding each other morsels of food as they wove through the market. When they’d run out of food to try, Theo turned to her and pulled her in for a long, lingering kiss, his lips tasting of the spices from the food they’d eaten. When he broke away, Padma’s heart beating wildly at his touch, he brushed back her hair and leaned to whisper in her ear.

‘Would you like to come back to mine?’

It took Padma only a second to nod in agreement. Theo’s eyes darkened and he gripped hold of her forearm, turning sharply and Apparating them both away.

When they landed at Theo’s apartment, Padma conjured her Patronus and sent the shimmering peacock to Hermione, letting her know she’d be late home. ‘I love you,’ she added at the end.

She turned back to Theo, his sapphire eyes blazing as he looked at her.

There was no pretence about what they were both there for, and in no time at all Padma found herself sprawled naked on Theo’s bed, Theo in a similar state of undress as he pinned her back against the pillows and kissed her senseless.

‘Gods, Padma,’ he murmured now, his lips trailing a line from her ear down to her collarbone. ‘You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this. I’ve been watching you, ever since you joined the dig. You and Hermione both. I’m always secretly hoping you’re going to need an astronomage consult.’

Padma laughed a little breathlessly. ‘Every day I hope we find an astro-curse,’ she admitted, as Theo gave her a devilish grin. ‘I can’t believe I’m here, that we’re doing this,’ she added, and Theo laughed in agreement.

‘Me too. Was Hermione okay with everything?’

‘More than okay,’ Padma said, her mind a little dazed from Theo’s attentions. ‘In fact, she said…’

Padma fell silent as she thought back to the other night with Hermione, unsure whether she should actually tell Theo. Would he think it was weird?

Theo wasn’t going to let her get away with that though.

She groaned as he traced a fingertip in a light circle around her nipple.

‘Tell me what Hermione said, Padma,’ Theo growled, the sexiness of his voice making her groan.

His fingers closed on her nipple and pinched as she gasped. ‘She - she said - oh god, Theo - she said after you fucked me, when I got home, she - she was going to fuck me too.’ Padma was breathless, and Theo’s smile grew more and more wicked as she got the words out.

‘Is that so,’ he murmured, releasing her nipple and leaning down to tenderly kiss it. ‘And would you let her? Let her fuck you while you were still flushed from the orgasm I gave you, your cunt still filled with my come?’

Padma bit her lip at his words, her mind spinning dizzily. Theo smiled and bit the delicate skin of her breast, sucking a love bite onto her skin. ‘I asked you a question, love,’ he said, trailing his finger down to nestle at the entrance to her cunt. He didn’t move his finger any further, just held it there, teasing her.

‘Of course not,’ she stammered, trying to arch her hips to get him to move. He just grabbed hold of her hip, holding her still. ‘Not without you knowing, without you saying it would be okay.’

‘Oh, Padma,’ Theo replied, his eyes almost completely black now. ‘It would be more than okay.’

Before she could reply, Theo slid his finger into her, capturing her groan on delight with his lips. He teased her with his fingers, only slowly adding another one. By the time he pressed his thumb against her clit, she was trembling with desire and soaked for him, and she came quickly and easily around his fingers.

While she lay on her back, sticky and sated - for now, at least - and trying her best to catch her breath again, Theo pulled his fingers free and brought them both into his mouth. His eyes fluttered shut as he sucked on them, making Padma’s blood rush with arousal again as he licked the taste of her from his skin. Still shaking slightly, she reached for him with eager hands, and he let himself be dragged up her body until his teeth was against her neck and his cock lined up with her cunt.

‘Fuck me, Theo,’ Padma whispered to him, and in answer he reached for his wand, long-abandoned on his bedside table, and cast a quick contraceptive spell. When the telltale golden glow had dissipated into the skin of her belly, he tossed his wand aside once more and leaned down to kiss her.

As his lips met hers, he plunged deep into her, his cock stretching her around him, claiming her as his own. She arched into him, digging her nails into his muscled back and relishing the hiss she dragged from him in response.

The heat that rushed through her at his touch burned hotter than Fiendfyre, more scorching than the desert sands that surrounded them. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t even think, as Theo thrust into her over and over, deeper and deeper. She could only exist, like a drop of water carried along on the flow of the Nile, helpless and suspended.

Theo didn’t speak either, but he panted and groaned and kissed every part of her he could reach, his arms braced either side of her head as he pushed her closer and closer to the edge. She could feel him following her over, as they tumbled towards the cataracts of their Nile. His thrusts were a little more erratic, his breathing a little shorter, until he reached between them to massage her clit once more.

Padma surrendered to his touch, inside and out, and fell from the glorious height he’d carried her to, letting the beat of the Nile wash over her once again. Theo drifted along behind her, his dick pulsing deep inside her as he came, his forehead dropping so it rested against hers.

‘Fuck,’ he muttered weakly, and she trailed her fingers up along his arms, the muscles bulging from supporting his weight. ‘That was…’

‘Pretty amazing?’ Padma finished with a smile, and Theo opened his sapphire eyes and gazed down at her with the same look of worship the ancient wizards surely gave to Isis herself.

‘Exactly,’ he breathed in response, and leaned down to capture her lips with his once more.

They lay tangled together for another hour, talking idly and tracing lazy patterns into each other’s skin, until Padma sighed and sat up against his pillows.

‘I’d better get back,’ she said, reluctance colouring her words. She missed Hermione, of course, but she knew she’d miss Theo when she was back in her own bed. Miss his lopsided smile, his blue eyes, the warmth of his embrace.

‘Of course, sweetheart,’ Theo said. He picked up his discarded wand and with a wave had all of Padma’s clothes levitate over to her. She flashed him a grateful smile as she started to dress. ‘Are you okay to Apparate, or do you want to use my Floo?’

She definitely felt… _floaty_ , even after having the time to rest and get her breath back. ‘I think I’ll use the Floo, thanks,’ she said, and Theo nodded and pulled himself out of bed. He didn’t bother to hide his nakedness - and and why would he, Padma thought to herself as she admired his brown, muscled thighs and ass as he sauntered to his wardrobe and pulled out a pair of dark blue joggers. He led her through to the living area and kissed her goodbye, gentle and sweet, before she disappeared with a flash of emerald green flames.

It was well after midnight when Padma stepped through the fireplace into her own apartment, finding her girlfriend half-asleep in their bed. True to her word, Hermione fucked her, slow and sleepy and deliciously sexy.

As they lay curled around each other in the darkness afterwards, Hermione asked how the date went, and Padma told her everything. Including - at Hermione’s insistence she was fine hearing about it - what had happened _after_ the date.

‘Honestly, Hermione,’ Padma sighed sleepily as her eyes started to get too heavy to keep open, warm and safe in Hermione’s arms with the lingering scent of Theo still on her skin. ‘If you get the chance, and you want to… you’d be missing out not letting him fuck you.’

* * *

Hermione was uncharacteristically nervous before her own date with Theo later that week.

She knew Padma had a wonderful time when he took her out - both on the date and afterwards - and knew Theo would no doubt have something equally thoughtful planned for Hermione - but still, the billywigs were fluttering madly in her stomach.

As if sensing her anxiety, Padma walked up behind Hermione where she sat at their mirror, coating her lashes with mascara, and wrapped her arms around her. She pressed a kiss on Hermione’s hair, washed and tamed with liberal helpings of Sleekeazy’s.

‘Hermione, sweetheart, you’re going to have a wonderful time,’ Padma smiled comfortingly at her girlfriend’s reflection in the mirror. ‘Just relax and enjoy yourself.’

Theo turned up half an hour later, clutching a bunch of water lilies for Hermione. She took them with a quiet thanks, and Padma went and found a vase for them, putting them in water for Hermione when she got home.

‘Have fun, you two,’ Padma smiled as Hermione stepped over the threshold, to where Theo waited with a sweet smile.

He was dressed smartly, in sand-coloured linen trousers and a crisp, white shirt that set off his tan. His dark hair was artfully tousled, his sapphire eyes glittering like the Nile in the bright midday sun. He reached out his hand, a little slowly as if he were nervous as well, and Hermione noticed her wore a gold signet ring with a capital _N_ inscribed into the metal.

He looked gorgeous. Utterly delectable, in fact, and as effortlessly cool and collected as Padma always did. Hermione was thankful she’d used so much Sleekeazy’s and cast a surreptitious cooling charm as she took his proffered hand and they walked out into wizarding Cairo and the sticky, heavy night air.

‘I’ve booked us a table at a nice wizarding restaurant for dinner - Blaise recommended it actually, said it’s the one he comes to when he’s in the city - but I thought we could do something first.’

‘That sounds nice,’ Hermione said as Theo led her through the bazaar.

The stalls selling potion ingredients and magic carpets and enchanted lamps were just as busy as in the day, the roaming hawkers with their Pepper-Up ginger teas and cinnamon-dusted magic beans still calling out their wares as they weaved in and out of the witches and wizards frequenting the market.

‘I actually have something planned, in downtown Cairo,’ Theo said casually, and Hermione gave him a sharp look. Downtown Cairo was completely Muggle, and although he may not have been a pureblood supremacist, Theo was still a pureblood wizard, raised far from the prying eyes of the Muggle world. ‘Would you be happy for me to Side-Along you?’

Hermione hid a smile as she agreed. Clearly Theo was going to a lot of trouble with this date. She braced herself for the jerking pull of Apparition, Theo’s hands already out to steady her as they landed. The Apparition point in downtown Cairo was tucked away in a dusty, dim alley, and Hermione could feel the shimmer of the Muggle-repelling charm as they walked through it, bursting out into the hustle and bustle of the city.

‘Where are we going?’ Hermione asked, her interest piqued. What had Theo got planned for them?

‘You’ll see,’ he said with an enigmatic little smile, and he led them along the street with a confidence to his stride.

It didn’t take long for her to realise where Theo was taking them.

The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities was an impressive red-bricked building in the centre of the city. It housed an enormous collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts - _Muggle_ ancient Egyptian artefacts.

As Theo ushered them through the entrance doors and into the cool interior, Hermione felt a wave of affection flow over her. Theo could have just taken her out for dinner. Could have just taken Padma for dinner. Instead, he’d clearly put a lot of thought into both nights, taking Padma on a street food tour through the wizarding quarter, and bringing Hermione into the centre of Muggle Cairo to take her around the museum.

‘I love this museum,’ she admitted as he took hold of her hand again and they started to walk into the nearest gallery. Hermione had been here five times in the two months since she and Padma had started working at the dig. The first time they’d gone together, hand in hand as they looked around the exhibits, much like she and Theo were doing now. The other times Hermione had come alone, a shawl wrapped around her hair, as she spent blissful, quiet hours gazing on the different artefacts.

Theo chuckled lightly, his fingers tightening in hers. ‘I thought you must have visited before. It’s a wonderful museum, and the Muggles of ancient Egypt were incredibly advanced.’

Hermione looked over at him thoughtfully. He was peering into a case of faience shabtis, faded and blue but still intricately detailed despite their age.

Looking at this Theo now, Hermione would never guess he came from a Pureblood supremacist family. She felt a sudden rush of gratefulness to Padma. Without the open-mindedness of her girlfriend, her ability to forgive and have faith in people, Hermione would never be here now, on a date in the Muggle world with Theo.

They spent several hours looking around the museum, so many that at one point in the evening Theo whipped out a Muggle mobile phone and called the restaurant, speaking in quick, confident Arabic and moving their table back an hour to give them a little more time with history.

When they eventually made it back to the wizarding quarter and to dinner, Hermione was feeling flushed and happy. They ate kushari and drank rich Egyptian elf-made wine, laughing together and talking about their childhoods, their curse-breaker training, the latest novels they’d read - anything other than the war or their parents.

All too soon they were the last table in the restaurant, their candle burned to a stub between them. With a kind smile the maitre d’ ushered them out, accepting a handful of golden Scarabs from Theo with an appreciative nod, and they turned, hand in hand, to the heavy Egyptian night. Hermione and Padma’s apartment wasn’t too far away, and the walk home took barely ten minutes. As they got to the door of the apartment, Hermione and Theo came to a stop, turning to face each other.

‘I had a really lovely time, Theo,’ Hermione said as he smiled down at her, her hands still in his. ‘Thank you.’

She reached up on tiptoes to brush a kiss to his cheek, but at the last moment he moved his head and captured her lips with his instead. Hermione leaned up into him, his body warm and solid beneath hers, and he wrapped his arms around her to hold her close. He was everything she’d imagined, hot and hard like fire and steel. A little breathlessly, she found her Gryffindor courage to ask what she most desperately wanted when they broke apart.

‘Do you want to come in?’

For the tiniest moment, doubt clouded Theo’s face, then the burning intensity in his eyes was back.

‘Only if you’re sure Padma wouldn’t mind,’ he said, the gentleness of his voice belying the fire in his eyes.

Hermione could feel her cheeks heat up as she remembered Padma’s words to her. ‘Er, actually, she was the one who suggested it,’ she squeaked, and Theo’s gaze turned to interest.

‘Oh, really? What exactly did Padma say?’

Oh _Merlin_ , he was going to make her say it, wasn’t he? Hermione closed her eyes, feeling the fiery path Theo’s fingers drew over the line of her collarbone as he waited.

‘She said I’d be missing out if I didn’t let you fuck me,’ she said in a whisper.

Theo looked inordinately pleased, his lips curling into a smile as he watched her. ‘Is that so,’ he murmured, pushing back a loose curl behind her ear and brushing a tender kiss against her neck. ‘Well, I’d hate to let you down,’ he added, and pulled her in for another kiss.

When they broke apart again, Hermione waved her hand to drop the wards, and dragged Theo through the front door and into the house.

Padma was already in bed it seemed, as the apartment stood dark and quiet. Hermione led Theo through to the small spare bedroom - earlier Padma had insisted they made up the bed in the otherwise-untouched room, just in case - and turned to him for a kiss the moment the door closed at the threshold.

Her hands hungrily sought him out, tearing at buttons in her rush to get to him, and he did the same. They unceremoniously tossed their clothing onto the floor until they were standing naked before each other in the gloom, then Theo wrapped his arms around her, picking her up and stumbling them both to the bed as she laughed, collapsing in a tangled heap together on the mattress. Hermione crooked a finger and a lantern flared into life, the pattern from the casing casting a faint spiderweb of light over the room.

‘I want to see you,’ Hermione explained as Theo looked at her, and he smiled and rolled her onto her back, bracing his arms either side of her head.

‘And I want to taste you,’ he growled, lowering his head to nip at her skin. Hermione whimpered and Theo slowly kissed his way down her body, before settling between her legs and placing his hands on her thighs. With a firm pressure he pushed them apart. Hermione squirmed as she was exposed to him, but he placed a gentle kiss on her cunt and looked up at her.

‘You’re so beautiful,’ he whispered, and Hermione tangled her hands in his soft, dark hair. ‘I’ve thought about doing this so many times.’

Hermione’s reply was lost as he sank his mouth back onto her, his talented tongue driving the words from her lips. Instead she was afloat on a blissful wave, her fingers tightening in Theo’s hair as he licked and sucked and tasted her, just as he promised.

It felt like no time at all before the wave engulfed her, and her belly tensed and her core clenched and she came with a gasp, wetness flooding into Theo’s mouth, as she pulled on his hair and locked him in place with her thighs.

When the wave subsided and her hold on him relaxed, she realised he was kissing the inside of her thighs, his hands reached up to cradle her hips.

‘Sorry,’ she gasped as she released his hair and unhooked her thighs, but Theo just looked up, his eyes blown with lust, and smiled lasciviously.

‘Never apologise for trapping me between your thighs, Hermione,’ he said. ‘There’s nowhere I’d rather be.’

‘Hmm,’ she murmured as she shuffled down beneath him so she could kiss him again. His mouth tasted sweet and smoky, and she realised she was tasting herself on his lips. ‘What about between Padma’s thighs?’ she murmured, and Theo’s eyes narrowed and he licked his lips.

‘Now that’s a very good point,’ he whispered, brushing back a strand of hair from her damp forehead. ‘But then, you’ve always been the brightest witch,’ he added with a wicked grin, and he shifted slightly, his cock dragging against her thigh. He left a sticky trail of precome along her skin, and Hermione smiled and reached down to grasp him firmly in her hand. Theo’s eyes fluttered shut and his lips parted as he groaned at her touch. Not letting go of him, Hermione waved her hand over her belly and whispered the words to the contraceptive charm before guiding him impatiently to her entrance.

He slid inside her, cursing under his breath and holding still when he was buried deep. He started fucking her, slow and steady, while kissing her sweetly, his breath broken against her lips. Hermione hooked her legs around his hips, and he groaned as he pushed deeper into her. Hermione wrapped her arms around him, pulling his head down so she could whisper against his ear.

He’d stolen her control before, when he placed his mouth on her and licked her to orgasm. Now it was her time.

‘Let me ride you,’ she said, and he trembled in her arms before rolling them so Hermione straddled him. He gripped onto her thighs as she started to move against him, his cock stretching her in the most delicious way.

‘Fuck me,’ Theo muttered, as Hermione ground herself against him, pushing herself to the edge all over again. ‘I’m not gonna last.’

Hermione dug her fingernails into his muscled chest, throwing her head back and closing her eyes.

‘Doesn’t matter,’ she managed to bite out as her thighs began to tremble. She bucked her hips against him again, and the thread inside her tightened. ‘I’m… I’m-’ with an unintelligible cry, she tensed and trembled over him, and Theo thrust up into her once, twice more before he groaned and pulsed deep inside her, his hands tightly gripping her thighs.

Hermione melted down onto Theo’s chest, and he just held her close, his hand stroking her wild curls down her back, as their heavy breaths filled the silence of the room.

Sated and sleepy, it was only as Hermione was on the brink of sleep, curled up in Theo’s arms, that she realised they’d forgotten to cast a silencing charm.

* * *

The next morning was a Saturday, and Hermione woke slowly in Theo’s arms.

‘Hey, gorgeous,’ he mumbled sleepily, and she smiled as she opened her eyes. His dark hair was dishevelled but his sapphire eyes sparkled when he opened them to look at her.

‘Morning,’ she murmured, pushing up to kiss him. ‘You hungry?’

‘Starving,’ he agreed merrily, pushing himself up into a seated position. ‘But I can Apparate home if you want, I don’t want to intrude on you and Padma.’

Hermione smiled but shook her head. ‘Of course you won’t be intruding!’

Theo started to pull on his clothes from last night, and Hermione wrapped the bedsheet around her body and opened the door to the spare bedroom. Outside lay her dressing gown, in a beautiful chestnut silk embroidered with gold, neatly folded and waiting for her. Hermione’s heart swelled with love as she realised Padma had left it there for her, and she pulled it around her body, tying the belt in place and turning to Theo. His linen trousers were creased from a night on the floor, and he hadn’t bothered putting his shirt back on. It was already warm in the apartment, after all, and Hermione certainly wasn’t going to complain about having his tanned, muscled chest on display like this. She was fairly sure Padma would be just as happy. With a raise of her eyebrow she turned to head to the kitchen, Theo following behind.

Padma was already dressed, in dark blue leggings and a sunset orange kaftan, her black hair freshly washed and hanging loose and long over her shoulders. She was busy making tea as the kettle boiled on the fire, and jumped in surprise when Hermione wrapped her arms around her and kissed her neck.

‘Morning, sweetheart,’ Hermione murmured, and Padma turned in her arms to kiss her on the lips.

‘Good morning,’ Padma replied, and her dark eyes slid from Hermione to a point just over her shoulder, where presumably Theo was standing. ‘Sleep well, Theo?’ she asked cheekily, and Hermione turned her head to see Theo smile a little bashfully as he rubbed his hand through his messy hair.

‘Eventually,’ he admitted, and Padma’s eyes twinkled.

‘It took me a while to sleep as well. You know, the walls in the apartment are pretty thin,’ she teased as she turned back to the tea.

Theo’s eyes met Hermione, wide with realisation.

The forgotten silencing charm.

‘Gods, Padma,’ Theo said, his voice apologetic. ‘I didn’t even think. I’m so sorry-’

Padma laughed and interrupted his apology by pushing a hot cup of tea into his hands. She reached up on tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips.

‘Don’t be daft, Theo,’ she said. ‘I’m just teasing you. I’m glad you stayed, by the way.’ Padma picked up the two remaining tea cups and nodded for them all to sit at their tiny kitchen table, handing Hermione a tea. She carried on, her voice rich with amusement. ’From the sound of things, you could become a pretty regular fixture around here.’

* * *

Before long, Hermione and Padma’s three month contract on the dig was up. The head curse-breaker at Abydos, Zahi Ibrahim, asked them to stay on for another six months, enough time to finish their work on the potioneers’ buildings.

They didn’t even need to think twice. They accepted immediately and secured their apartment for the rest of the year, Theo coming around with a bottle of champagne all the way from the Malfoy estates in France to celebrate. They collapsed in an entwined heap on the sofa together, drinking champagne and talking to the early hours.

Theo never did quite go home again.

He moved his belongings into their flat properly the next week, his field tools and books on astronomy becoming just as much a part of their home as Padma’s teas and spices and Hermione’s novels. They spread themselves across the two bedrooms and the single study, Apparating to the dig site together every morning, making dinner together in their tiny kitchen every night.

One day, eventually, their wizarding work permits would expire, and they’d have to move back to the cold and grey of England, and probably have serious talks about futures and houses and weddings and babies.

But for now, in the scorching sands of the cradle of civilisation, among the ruins and the curses of the ancients, and away from prying eyes…

They simply loved each other. 


End file.
